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Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.

Search results for 'Old':

old adj (older or elder, oldest or eldest) 1 advanced in age; that has existed for a long time; not young. 2 having a stated age • five years old. 3 belonging or relating to the end period of a long life or existence • old age. 4 (the old) old people as a group (see the 4b). 5 worn out or shabby through long use • old shoes. 6 no longer in use; out of date; old-fashioned. 7 belonging to the past. 8 former or previous; earliest of two or more things • went back to see their old house. 9 of long standing or long existence • an old member of the society. 10 familiar, practised or skilled through long experience • the same old excuses. 11 with the characteristics, eg experience, maturity or appearance, of age • be old beyond one's years. 12 (Old) said of a language: that is the earliest form known or recorded • Old English. 13 colloq, jocular used in expressions of familiar affection or contempt, etc • good old Billsilly old fool. 14 colloq used for emphasis • any old how. 15 colloq (usually high old, rare old, etc) used for emphasis: great; excessive • rare old time. noun an earlier time • men of old. oldish adj. as old as the hills colloq very old. little old colloq a familiar affectionate or jocular way of referring to someone or something. of old formerly; a long time ago.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon eald.

older

See Usage Note at elder1.

old adj (older or elder, oldest or eldest) 1 advanced in age; that has existed for a long time; not young. 2 having a stated age • five years old. 3 belonging or relating to the end period of a long life or existence • old age. 4 (the old) old people as a group (see the 4b). 5 worn out or shabby through long use • old shoes. 6 no longer in use; out of date; old-fashioned. 7 belonging to the past. 8 former or previous; earliest of two or more things • went back to see their old house. 9 of long standing or long existence • an old member of the society. 10 familiar, practised or skilled through long experience • the same old excuses. 11 with the characteristics, eg experience, maturity or appearance, of age • be old beyond one's years. 12 (Old) said of a language: that is the earliest form known or recorded • Old English. 13 colloq, jocular used in expressions of familiar affection or contempt, etc • good old Billsilly old fool. 14 colloq used for emphasis • any old how. 15 colloq (usually high old, rare old, etc) used for emphasis: great; excessive • rare old time. noun an earlier time • men of old. oldish adj. as old as the hills colloq very old. little old colloq a familiar affectionate or jocular way of referring to someone or something. of old formerly; a long time ago.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon eald.

older

See Usage Note at elder1.

old adj (older or elder, oldest or eldest) 1 advanced in age; that has existed for a long time; not young. 2 having a stated age • five years old. 3 belonging or relating to the end period of a long life or existence • old age. 4 (the old) old people as a group (see the 4b). 5 worn out or shabby through long use • old shoes. 6 no longer in use; out of date; old-fashioned. 7 belonging to the past. 8 former or previous; earliest of two or more things • went back to see their old house. 9 of long standing or long existence • an old member of the society. 10 familiar, practised or skilled through long experience • the same old excuses. 11 with the characteristics, eg experience, maturity or appearance, of age • be old beyond one's years. 12 (Old) said of a language: that is the earliest form known or recorded • Old English. 13 colloq, jocular used in expressions of familiar affection or contempt, etc • good old Billsilly old fool. 14 colloq used for emphasis • any old how. 15 colloq (usually high old, rare old, etc) used for emphasis: great; excessive • rare old time. noun an earlier time • men of old. oldish adj. as old as the hills colloq very old. little old colloq a familiar affectionate or jocular way of referring to someone or something. of old formerly; a long time ago.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon eald.

older

See Usage Note at elder1.